Life line and rope end terminations, providing a loop through which a carabiner or the like may be attached, are often used in fall arrest and rescue systems for workers and other such persons. Conventionally the rope end comprises one of (a) a knot termination, (b) a splice termination where the rope braids have been spliced at the end of the rope to form a loop, (c) a stitched eye where the rope is in the form of a strap and an end has been folded back onto the strap and stitched to form an eye, or (d) formed from a swaged fitting, where the rope is folded back on itself and the rope end held securely together with a portion of the rope, forming an eye, by means of swaged fittings. Each of these constructions, when properly implemented, facilitate a secure connection to an anchor.
These constructions of rope ends require, in most instances, a previously constructed rope end (e.g. spliced termination, stitched eye) or, in the case of a swaged fitting, multiple component fittings for the endings including a thimble about which the rope is wrapped and multiple pieces of each swaged fitting which must be assembled about the portions of the rope end and secured together to frictionally engage those portions. In many circumstances, particularly where time is of the essence, it is not possible or practical to find a rope with the appropriate end.
Various proposals have been made for alternate termination arrangements.
Of background interest are Cooper, U.S. Pat. No. 904,483 issued Nov. 24, 1908 and Forster, U.S. Pat. No. 1,153,053 issued Sept. 7, 1915 which teach specifically formed metal plates having a plurality of rope receiving apertures of a size significantly larger than the rope to allow freedom of movement of the rope for tightening of the rope end, in the case of Cooper, or securing of a fishing line to the device (in the case of Forster). Kuntz U.S. Pat. No. 71,393 issued Nov. 26, 1867 teaches a device somewhat similar to that of the Cooper patent.
Cook, U.S. Pat. No. 601,805 issued Apr. 5, 1898 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,997,945 of Robins again both teach plate-like devices having rope receiving apertures, through which ropes are intended to slide for purposes of tightening or tensioning systems of which the ropes and devices are parts.
Hanson, U.S. Pat. No. 1,713,901, issued May 21, 1929 teaches a rope end termination for a hay sling, the termination having a plurality of spaced holes too small to receive the rope itself, but large enough to receive portions of the rope so that the rope may be spliced or braided thereto.
Of interest in that they teach fasteners for two ends of a rope, through which a rope may be pulled for tightening purposes, as in the case of a conventional clothes line are Redfield, U.S. Pat. No. 2,151,664 issued Mar. 21, 1939; Richards U.S. Pat. No. 5,625,925, issued May 6, 1997; Le Maire, U.S. Pat. No. 872,355 issued Dec. 3, 1907; Maxwell, U.S. Pat. No. 2,506,274 issued May 2, 1950; Bancker, U.S. Pat. No. 678,533, issued Jul. 16, 1901; Landry, U.S. Pat. No. 912,387 issued Feb. 16, 1909 (and its Canadian counterpart, Canadian Patent No. 118902, issued June 1909) and Rohan, U.S. Pat. No. 1,383,665 issued Jul. 5, 1921.
Prior patents describing and illustrating devices through which threaded ropes may be moved in controlled fashion, for instance to lower a person from one level to another as a means of a fire escape, include Shuart, U.S. Pat. No. 1,114,392 issued Oct. 20, 1914; Ross, U.S. Pat. No. 434,888, issued Aug. 19, 1890; Ives, U.S. Pat. No. 649,458 issued May 15, 1900; Irving, U.S. Pat. No. 756,641 issued Apr. 5, 1904; Johnson, U.S. Pat. No. 1,230,169 issued Jun. 19, 1917 and Crosby, U.S. Pat. No. 2,466,083 issued Apr. 5, 1949.
Also of background interest are Daniels et al, U.S. Pat. No. 2,345,890 issued Apr. 4, 1944 and Brouse, U.S. Pat. No. 2,601,083 issued Jun. 17, 1952, which teach drop wire ties for electrical conductor wires such as telephone lighting and other wires, in that they provide a series of slots through which the wires are threaded.
U.S. Pat. No. 413,135 of Dennis issued Oct. 15, 1889, teaches a simple snap clip device having a pair of rope receiving holes at one end, and spurs to pierce the rope where it is looped through the holes to immobilize it and secure it to the snap. Finally of general background interest teaching other types of rope receiving blocks and fittings for gripping ropes are Evans, U.S. Pat. No. 518,880 issued Apr. 24, 1894; McKinlay, U.S. Pat. No. 2,903,772 issued Sep. 15, 1959; Hill, U.S. Pat. No. 2,561,371 issued Jul. 24, 1951; Meighan, U.S. Pat. No. 2,193,236 issued Mar. 12, 1940 and Pruchnow, U.S. Pat. No. 932,072 issued Apr. 12, 1960.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a life line termination which is simple in construction and may be easily and securely fitted to a life line or rope end, on site, to provide a formed eye to the end of the rope, to which a carabiner or the line may be attached.
Throughout the rest of this specification, "rope" will be used synonymously with "life line".